By Reinoldas Sidlauskas, member of the National Association of Licensed Paralegals (NALP)
In our novels and on our screens, we love a rogue on the road to redemption. Our fiction is awash with second chances. But what about real life?
Too often a person released from prison—determined to rebuild their life and become a responsible citizen—begins a second, silent sentence when they try to find work, especially in regulated sectors.
Conditional forgiveness
In the UK, the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (ROA) provides a mechanism for criminal records to become “spent” after a certain period, meaning they don’t need to be disclosed in most cases. But in regulated professions, this protection often dissolves.
Take the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA). While technically allowing those with spent convictions to apply, they require a detailed assessment of an applicant’s character and suitability. The result? Individuals must re-prove their worth, no matter how old or irrelevant their past offence may be.
The same applies to the General Medical Council, the Nursing and Midwifery Council, and similar regulators. Declarations of past convictions remain mandatory, even if the individual meets all training and ethical standards. Often, public perception is prioritised over personal reform. Apparently, the concern is not about reoffending, it’s about what the public might think.
In sectors where trust is currency (finance, banking, insurance, etc.) individuals are frequently denied entry based not on legal risk but reputational assumption. This is not a legal judgment. It’s a branding decision by HR departments – a decision that institutionalises suspicion.
Even outside regulated sectors, employment barriers remain harsh. Many businesses involved in logistics, transport, hospitality, retail, construction, warehouse operations, even cleaning services rely on automated vetting systems. Job listings often contain the phrase: No unspent convictions. Applications are filtered automatically. Individuals are disqualified before they even get a chance to explain.
In practice, this leaves many capable, reformed individuals permanently excluded from economic participation. It’s not justice. It’s structural exile.
Internalised shame and systemic rejection
The psychological impact of these barriers is profound. People begin to see themselves through the lens of institutional rejection. In cognitive terms, it’s the reinforcement of a core negative belief: I am not good enough, no matter what I do.
Even the most resilient individuals begin to internalise the stigma – a form of secondary punishment with no expiry date.
What do advocates say?
Unlock, a UK-based charity, estimates that over 12 million people in the UK have a criminal record. Their campaign #FairChecks argues for fairer disclosure rules and criticises outdated systems that keep people trapped in their past.
The Howard League for Penal Reform goes further, calling for a justice system that promotes reintegration, not perpetual marginalisation. Their research shows that many legal and institutional practices fail to recognise evidence of change.
Both organisations advocate not only for legal reform but also for cultural transformation with the aim of employment becoming a space of opportunity, not judgement.
A legal system that forgets to forgive
We claim to believe in second chances. But our laws and institutions still operate on the assumption that people can never truly change. This is not only morally wrong, but also legally incoherent. If one page of a criminal record can erase a lifetime of effort, then justice is no longer restorative. It becomes reputational apartheid.
Reintegration should be elevated beyond soundbite policy. Let us make it be a right.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Reinoldas Sidlauskas is a criminal defence paralegal and member of the National Association of Licensed Paralegals (NALP). NALP is a non-profit membership body and the only paralegal body that is recognised as an awarding organisation by Ofqual (the regulator of qualifications in England). Through its Centres around the country, accredited and recognised professional paralegal qualifications are offered for those looking for a career as a paralegal professional.
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